Omicron symptoms: What we know about illness caused by the new subvariants Symptoms of omicron and the BA.4 and BA.5 subvariants are similar, doctors say. They're all still Covid, and they can still cause severe disease. NBC News

The current wave of the omicron variant of the coronavirus making its way across the U.S. — dominated by the subvariants BA.4 and BA.5 — is sparking new concerns about a seemingly endless cycle of Covid infections.

What the BA.5 Subvariant Could Mean for the United States The most transmissible variant yet of the coronavirus is threatening a fresh wave of infections in the United States, even among those who have recovered from the virus fairly recently. The New York Times

The most transmissible variant yet of the coronavirus is threatening a fresh wave of infections in the United States, even among those who have recovered from the virus fairly recently.

After backlash, Beijing drops COVID vaccination mandate for crowded venues

BEIJING, July 8 (Reuters) - Beijing's city government has dropped plans to allow only vaccinated people to enter crowded venues such as libraries, cinemas and gyms from Monday, following a strong online backlash to the measure announced earlier this week.

The mandatory requirement would have marked a rare move in China, where the central government insists on voluntary vaccination and has quickly overruled other attempts by front-line officials to issue compulsory vaccination directives.

The pandemic has eroded Americans’ trust in experts and elected leaders alike, a survey finds.

As the coronavirus pandemic entered its third year, the American public had lost much of its trust both in public health experts and in government leaders, and was less worried than before about Covid-19, according to a survey conducted in early May and released Thursday by the Pew Research Center.

Confidence ratings for public health officials, like those at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention; for state and local elected officials; and for President Biden fell in a range from 43 percent to 54 percent in the survey — much lower than during the early stages of the pandemic.

Beijing mandates COVID vaccines to enter some public spaces TAIPEI, Taiwan (AP) — The Chinese capital has issued a mandate requiring people to show proof of COVID-19 vaccination before they can enter some public spaces including gyms, museums and libraries, drawing concern from city residents over the sudden policy announcement and its impact on their daily lives. AP NEWS

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BA.5, now dominant U.S. variant, may pose the biggest threat to immune protection yet The FDA recommended that Covid vaccine makers target two omicron subvariants — BA.4 and BA.5 — in new booster shots expected to come this fall. NBC News

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The coronavirus subvariant known as BA.5 accounted for nearly 54% of the country's Covid cases as of Saturday, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. A similar subvariant, BA.4, makes up 17% more.

Here are the states returning to pre-pandemic normal the fastest: analysis Story at a glance A Moody’s Analytics index has tracked the country’s economic recovery since the pandemic began based on 13 metrics, including the value of goods and services produced, e… Adam Barnes The Hill

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